Frequently asked questions

Creators (i.e. subject coordinators)

Can I make an online request to have faculty-approved text in my outline changed?
Do I have to edit the fields and submit the change package all in one session?
What if I decide not to go ahead with submission after I have already proposed changes to some fields?
Can I generate a PDF showing how the outline will look if the changes I am requesting are approved?
When I submit my change request can I explain why I am making the change?
Can other people with access to my subject see the changes I am proposing?
Can I still generate a subject outline when I am in the process of preparing a change request package?
What if I get sick after I have started but before I have submitted the change request package?
What feedback do I get post submission?

Responders and approvers (i.e. administrative staff and associate deans)

At present I get change requests by email and telephone. Is this still an acceptable method?
Does the system support the packaging of a set of changes to multiple fields into a single request?
Can I make changes to faculty-approved fields if an academic has started to prepare an online request?
What if I (a 'responder') need to make a change to a field that forms part of an academic's change proposal package?
Can I transfer responsibility for a change request in preparation from one academic to another?
How will I know when action is required on my part to process a submitted change request?
How do I take responsibility for processing a change request?
Can I approve minor changes myself, e.g. changes to the wording that preserve the intent?
How do I recognise where in the field text that the change has been made?
How can I see the changes in context?
How do I approve a change?
The package approve/reject buttons are not always displayed on the screen. Why?
Can I transfer responsibility for processing a change request to another person?
The drop-down list of potential transferees sometimes has names missing. Why?
Does the system support a layered approval approach, e.g. admin staff then head of school then associate dean?
I want to do as much of the heavy lifting as I can before transferring a request to my associate dean. How do I do this?
How can a person processing a change request get access to the comments made on each transfer?
Can the associate dean or ultimate authority be protected from getting a flood of emails?
Once a package of changes has been approved, how long before the changes appear in an outline?
Who can assign roles to individuals?
Is there an emergency reset?
Are change request progress logs archived?

Can I make an online request to have faculty-approved text in my outline changed?

Yes. Go to the Change Request tab and choose 'Fields'. You will see a list of all the fields that require faculty approval to change. You can expand each field. The top part shows the text as approved. When you hover over the bottom part it turns yellow and an editor opens where you can modify the existing text and save as a proposed change. When you have saved the changes to all the fields you want to change, 'submit' the package using the button at the bottom of the screen.

Do I have to edit the fields and submit the change package all in one session?

No. From the time you save the first change until the time you submit, you and you alone, are able to edit the fields displayed in the Change Request tab. You can take as long as you like to prepare the requested package of changes, logging in and out until you are ready to submit.

What if I decide not to go ahead with submission after I have already proposed changes to some fields?

You should click the [Cancel] button at the bottom of the Change Request / Fields screen.

Can I generate a PDF showing how the outline will look if the changes I am requesting are approved?

Yes. Go to the Change Request tab and choose 'Preview PDF'. The generated PDF is watermarked with 'Draft'. It incorporates the modified text for all fields where changes have been saved.

When I submit my change request can I explain why I am making the change?

Yes, and you should, as it will make it easier for the person doing the approving. Clicking the [Submit] button opens up a text box for this purpose. Unfortunately the system at present doesn’t highlight where the change to the text has been made, so your comments should summarise the location/extent of the change to each field as well as the reason they are being proposed.

Can other people with access to my subject see the changes I am proposing?

Yes. But once you have started preparing a change proposal no one else is able to commence preparing a new one until your change has been submitted and processed (i.e. approved or rejected).

Can I still generate a subject outline when I am in the process of preparing a change request package?

Yes, but it will only incorporate the text as originally approved. You can continue to edit all fields accessible to subject coordinators as normal.

What if I get sick after I have started but before I have submitted the change request package?

Anyone in your faculty with the WF 'responder' role can either transfer your partly prepared change request package to another academic, or reset the subject. Resetting the subject results in the loss of all the edits you have made. Resetting allows another coordinator to start preparation of their own change request package.

What feedback do I get post submission?

You get an email on submission, another one when approval processing commences and a final one when it is complete.

At present I get change requests by email and telephone. Is this still an acceptable method?

Yes, but once the system is rolled out there is nothing to stop academics using it if they have access to the Change request tab, so the faculty needs to determine who has responsibility for processing requests that come in.

Does the system support the packaging of a set of changes to multiple fields into a single request?

Yes. A single change proposal can vary from being a change to a word in a single field to a complete rewrite of every field. The package is submitted for approval only when all the individual field edits are complete. From the time the first field change is saved, until the time the package is submitted, the initiating academic, and only that academic, can propose changes to faculty approved fields.

Can I make changes to faculty-approved fields if an academic has started to prepare an online request?

Provided you have an 'Editor (CI)' role you can continue to edit all faculty approved fields except those that the academic has saved with a change proposal. Affected fields are displayed in the CI Edit tab with a green 'W' (workflow) symbol and a lock icon. On the Edit tab, the locked field displays the modified text as proposed; on the View tab the currently approved text is displayed.

What if I (a 'responder') need to make a change to a field that forms part of an academic's change proposal package?

If you really need to edit the field, you can click the [Reset] button at the bottom of the processing page accessed via CI / Notifications / Workflow. Resetting causes the loss of all edits input by the academic. When you reset you are asked for an explanation which is automatically emailed to the academic who was preparing the change request. Once a request has been submitted you can no longer reset, but the changes you want to make can be blended in with those the academic is proposing as part of the approval process.

Can I transfer responsibility for a change request in preparation from one academic to another?

Yes. There may be circumstances where an academic starts a change request package but for whatever reason is unable to complete it. Because the system only allows one change request package per subject to be prepared at a time, provision has been made for transfer to another academic. In CI, go to the Workflow tab and choose 'Transfer'. The 'Transfer to' drop-down list displays the name of all other academics who have access to the subject. An alternative to transferring is to simply reset the request, as then another academic can commence preparing their own request package (see above).

How will I know when action is required on my part to process a submitted change request?

Everyone in your faculty with a workflow 'responder' role is alerted by email when a request has been submitted. Once you login to CI you can click on 'Notifications / Workflow' to see all the subjects with a change request in progress. The listing also shows who currently has responsibility for processing the request. When a change request is newly submitted there is no name associated with it. At this point someone with the 'responder' role needs to pick up the request and start the approval process.

How do I take responsibility for processing a change request?

As a workflow 'responder' you will receive an email when a new change request has been submitted. In CIS / Notifications / Workflow, the list of subjects with change requests waiting to be assigned to a 'responder' or in progress is displayed. To take responsibility for processing a change request, click the 'Edit' link beside the subject you want to assess. You're taken to the subject where you can see the 'Latest approved data' and the 'Change requested' data for each field that has a change request. Click the [Assign to me] button. From that point, until you either transfer the request or approve it, you and you alone have access to the change request.

Can I approve minor changes myself, e.g. changes to the wording that preserve the intent?

Yes, if you have both the workflow 'responder' and 'approver' role. Whether you have the 'approver' role or not depends on how your faculty decides it wants to handle change requests. Most faculties will give you the responsibility of deciding whether the change is of a nature that it is OK for you to approve it directly, or that you need to forward it on to someone else, for example a head of school or associate dean.

How do I recognise where in the field text that the change has been made?

Click the show differences icon beside the field name.

How can I see the changes in context?

You can generate a PDF of the complete outline as it would look if all the changes proposed were approved. In CI, go to the Workflow tab and choose 'Preview PDF'. For comparison, you can access previously generated PDFs under the Preview/Generate PDF tab.

How do I approve a change?

You must first process each field, either recommending the change or rejecting it. You can also edit the field, for example to correct spelling or grammar and then recommend it. Once you have reached a recommend/reject position for each field affected by a change, click on the relevant 'approve/reject' button at the bottom of the screen.

The package approve/reject buttons are not always displayed on the screen. Why?

The buttons only appear when an accept/reject decision has been made with respect to each field and the user has a workflow 'approver' role.

Can I transfer responsibility for processing a change request to another person?

Yes. Once you have picked up a request you will be able to transfer it to someone else in the faculty with change request processing responsibilities. You may need to do this because you are called away on another job, or it may be part of your normal faculty process for you to do an initial scan of the proposal, making corrections and possibly recommendations for some of the fields and then forwarding it on to someone with greater delegated authority. You effect the transfer in CI: go to the Workflow tab and choose 'Transfer'. The drop-down list shows only those users with access to the subject and with roles that permit them to further process the proposal. You can leave a comment which will appear in the workflow progress log and in an email that is sent to the transferee.

The drop-down list of potential transferees sometimes has names missing. Why?

The list includes users in the faculty that have a workflow 'responder' role. Once all fields have an recommend/reject position and the remaining fields have been at least 'noted' the list will also include those with a workflow 'approver' role.

Does the system support a layered approval approach, e.g. admin staff then head of school then associate dean?

Yes. The system has been designed to support multi-phase processing of change requests, for example, a request is initially checked by an admin staff member who makes recommendations against some or all of the field changes and then transfers the request to someone with greater delegated authority to fine tune the individual field recommendations already made. The request is finally transferred to the ultimate authority who accepts or rejects the package of recommendations as a whole.

I want to do as much of the heavy lifting as I can before transferring a request to my associate dean. How do I do this?

You should check all changes for spelling and grammar and then produce a draft PDF. After you have read this, carefully make recommendations for acceptance or rejection of the fields where you feel you have sufficient knowledge to do so. The other fields should be 'noted', i.e. your way of signalling to the transferee that you have checked the spelling, grammar and consistency but don't feel sufficiently informed to reach a recommend/reject position for that field.

How can a person processing a change request get access to the comments made on each transfer?

In CI, go to the Workflow tab and choose 'Progress'. You will find a log of all actions. Details, including comments made on transfer (i.e. those included in transfer emails) can be found by clicking on the corresponding log item.

Can the associate dean or ultimate authority be protected from getting a flood of emails?

Yes. By restricting the role assigned to the associate dean to include only workflow 'approver', he or she will only get emails when a package of changes is ready for their one click approval.

Once a package of changes has been approved, how long before the changes appear in an outline?

Clearly they will not appear in already generated outlines. Freshly generated outlines will immediately display the changed text in all fields except those fields requiring university-level editorial approval (i.e. from APO CIS). An onscreen warning will be displayed to this effect. Approval, if granted, will be actioned within 24 hours.

Who can assign roles to individuals?

It depends on the level of the role. Users with 'Admin Editor' in their role title can assign roles below their level in the system they have access to.

Is there an emergency reset?

Yes. The CIS System Administrator can reset any proposal, no matter what stage it has reached in the approval cycle, back to the 'No change in preparation' state. Emails are automatically sent to all stakeholders. The System Administrator can also set a submitted proposal being processed back to the submitted state ready for another person with workflow 'responder' role to pick up and start the processing afresh.

Are change request progress logs archived?

Yes. In CI, go to the Workflow tab and choose 'Log'.